Plane flying by the right of my house (Blue Dot)
“Wow! So many planes! Surely international travel is opening up for Malaysia!”, my neighbor exclaimed as I was doing my morning exercises yesterday. I then explained that the seasonal winds have shifted to a south-easterly direction and most planes are now landing on the right runway (RW 14R) of KL International Airport (KLIA).
For safety, all planes are directed to land into wind. As such, we can expect many landings on this dominant runway. (There are 6 runways in KLIA). Consequently, more noise, especially after a lull of silence when planes were landing on the opposite runway.
To reconfirm this scenario, I selected my flightradar24 app. Sure enough, I could confirm that almost all planes that were landing, passed by the right side of our houses (see pic above). This wonderful app even showed the height and speed the planes were flying by.
My neighbor was at first elated thinking that the international skies would open soon so that he could travel overseas again. Tough luck, I said to him! All these aircraft flying around are mostly cargo planes or freighters, ferrying all the much-needed PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), vaccines and cargoes in Malaysia as we battered the Covid-19 pandemic.
My daughter has suggested that she is planning her visit to Malaysia next year. I advised her to put off her plans for the moment. UK seems to be very positive and has lifted most Covid-19 restrictions as cases have fallen to 25,000 daily since the highest levels recorded in January 2021. Malaysia has fared worst.
An air bubble travel arrangement between Singapore and Hong Kong did not get off the air. Basically, it means passengers who are vaccinated can travel quarantine-free but this twice postponed initiatives are unlikely to proceed at the moment due to the spike of the Delta variant infections. What then can we expect of the London – Kuala Lumpur flight?
So, when will we fly internationally from Malaysia again?
The is a million-dollar question. In reality, nobody knows for sure. What will happen is that air travel will recover in stages. Discounting cargo flights which have thrived, domestic air travel will recover first. This will then be followed by international air travel when more countries open their borders; some say sometime in 2023 or the latest by 2024.
